The Setup Guide: Igniting V3

This page walks you through the basic steps to set up and customize your V3 Platform.  Once you have completed each of these steps, you will be ready to launch your V3 Platform.

• 1)

  Configure Basic Options

  Specify your organization's name, default email, and set up other basic options. View details

• 2)

  Customize Marketing Copy and Email Templates

  Personalize marketing copy and default text that appears in V3 emails. View details

• 3)

  Create a CNAME in your DNS Manager

  Mask the default domain with your own custom domain name View details

• 4)

  Set up 3rd Party Tools

  Integrate V3 Platform with third party services like MailChimp, Facebook, and Twitter. View details

• 5)

  Install Action Plugins

  Decide which Actions you want supporters to perform and setup corresponding Action Kits. View details

• 6)

  Create Teams and Interest Groups

  Organize your supporters by interests and by geographic location. View details

• 7)

  Import Supporters and Outreach Lists

  Add existing organizational lists to V3 Platform (optional). View details

• 8)

  Create Automated Triggers

  Create Automated Triggers that fire based on user activities. View details

1) Configure Basic Options

Visit the Basic Options section of the Platform Config to begin. 

1. Navigate to Platform Config
2. Select Basic Options

Here you will be able to customize copy throughout your V3 Platform and configure other basic options.  Click here to learn more about the different settings found on the basic options page.

2) Customize Marketing Copy and Email Templates

Customize all emails sent through the V3 Platform.

1. Navigate to Platform Config
2. Select Email Templates
3. Personalize your emails sent through V3 Platform

You can read more about the email templates that you can customize in the Email Templates section of V3 Support.

You also need to input your own marketing copy to personalize the branding of your V3 Platform. 

1. Navigate to Platform Config
2. Select Community Managment
3. Select Marketing Copy
4. Add your personalized copy

Note:  As you add your own personalized copy, be sure to read the description on the right side of the Marketing Copy page to ensure you understand where the copy will be displayed.

3) Create a CNAME in your DNS Manager

Configure your DNS settings with DNS Provider.  It doesn't matter if your DNS provider is GoDaddy, MyDomain, DynDNS, or something else.  The basic configurations are the same across all providers.  

1. Create the domain or sub-domain where you want your Community to reside. 
2. Create a CNAME record in your DNS provider that will point to your V3 Platform domain.

Note:  For your convenience, we have put together a list of popular DNS providers with links to their support pages to assist you in this process.

4) Set up 3rd Party Tools

1.  Integrate Mailchimp 

All lists and segments sync with MailChimp, a bulk-email provider that integrates tightly into V3.  Any changes that you make in either MailChimp or V3 Platform automatically apply to both applications.  Learn how to integrate MailChimp on the 3rd Party Tools section of the product manual.

2.  Setup Facebook Connect

Integrating Facebook Connect will give your supporters easy entry into your V3 Platform.  Supporters are able to log in to V3 with their Facebook credentials and can populate their personal information directly from Facebook with one-click.  This will also allow you to use the Post to Facebook action.  Learn how to integrate Facebook on the 3rd Party Tools section of the product manual.

3.  Integrate Twitter

Before you and your supporters can utilize the Post to Twitter action, you will need to integrate Twitter into your V3 Platform.

1. Go to Twitter's Developer Page to create a new application.  You will need to login with your Twitter account
2. Input "V3 Platform" as the Application Name
3. Add a brief description (i.e. 'This connects [our organization] to V3 Platform')
4. Input the Application Website: (http://your.customdomain.com/)
5. Input your Organization name
6. Set the Application Type to 'Browser'
7. Set the Callback URL to 'http://your.customdomain.com/action/twitter/oauthCallback'
8. Set the Default Access type to 'Read & Write'
9. Type in the Captcha and Register the application. Copy or write down the Consumer Key and the Consumer Secret
10. In V3 Platform, go to Platform Config, select Action Plugins, and select Post to Twitter
11. Click 'Configure'
12. Paste the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret and click 'Update Settings'

5) Install Action Plugins

Install the Actions that you want your supporters to perform and configure all settings using Action Kits.

1. Navigate to Platform Config
2. Select Action Plugins
3. Install the Actions Plugins you want to use
4. Setup Action Kits for each Action Plugin

Note:  You can read more about setting up Action Kits in the prouduct manual.

6) Create Teams and Interest Groups

You can create Interest Teams and Georgraphic Teams using V3's import tool or manually entering them one-at-a-time.  Interest Teams are based on common characteristics like shared involvement interests.  Geographic Teams are based on county or state residence.

First enable your Geographic Teams settings:

1. Navigate to the Platform Config --> Team Settings
2. Enable Top-Level Teams by clicking the "Yes" radio button
3. If you are a national organization, label your Top-Level Teams as "state"
4. If you are a statewide organization, label your Top-Level Teams as "county"
5. If you are a national organization, you can enable Sub-Level Teams as "county" (if desired)
6. Choose the Affiliation of each level of Team you enable

Then, enable your Interest Teams settings:

1. Click "Enable Group"
2. Label with a name of your choosing (i.e. coalition, group, etc.)

To create Geographic Teams:

1. Go to the Teams page
2. Click on the Georgraphic Teams tab
3. To create Geographic Teams one at a time, click on the "+Add Georgraphic Team".  Give the team a name, description, and owner (optional). 
4. To create multple teams at once, click "Import Teams".  Paste a list of states or counties and click "Import"

To create new Interest Teams:

1. Navigate to the Teams section
2. Click on the Interest Groups tab
3. To create them one at a time, click on  "+ Add Interest Group"; input a name, description, owner, and click save.
4. To create multiple groups at once, click on "Import" and paste a list of groups.  Click save.

Note:  You will need to make sure that each Geographic Team correlates to the correct state or county by going to the Teams page and clicking "Manage Team Associations".

To read more about Geographic and Interest Teams, click here.

7) Import Supporters and Outreach Lists

Add your existing lists to the V3 database.

You can manage lists within your V3 Platform.  These may be supporter lists, comprised of volunteers, donors, fans, and other such advocates of your cause.  Or they may be outreach lists, containing people unfamiliar to your organization who you would like your supporters to contact (i.e. voter lists, old membership lists, etc.).  You will Import all lists from the Contacts section of your V3 Platform.

8) Create Automated Triggers

Create Automated Triggers to fire when supporters create an account, select an involvement interest, or join a team.

1. Navigate to the Platform Config section
2. Select Automated Triggers
3. Choose a condition that, when completed, triggers an effect.  Choose from a variety of conditions: supporter creates an account, supporter adds an involvement interest, or supporter joins a team.
4. Then choose the effect that follows the condition. Effects include: mobilizing any Action to the supporter, or applying a tag to the supporter.

To learn more about Automated Triggers, click here.